Ear piercing device

ABSTRACT

The ear piercing device of this invention comprises a parallel pair of opposing resilient arms pivotally mounted at one of their respective terminal ends and having a leaf-type holding spring disposed therebetween and an upstanding stop pin mounted on one of the arms operable to limit the extent of movement of the arms, one of the arms and the spring being operable to hold an earring having an upstanding shank portion so that the shank may pierce the lobe of an ear when the arms are squeezed together. The earring being operable to remain in the ear lobe after piercing tends to cause the wound created by the earring shank to heal about the shank and to, thereby, leave a hole or opening in the lobe.

1451 Aug. 26, 1975 1 EAR PIERCING DEVICE Lee Read, 1002 Johnson St., Boise, Idaho 83704 22 Filed: Nov. 12, 1973 21 Appl. No.: 415,079

Related U.S. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Scr. No. 219,977, Jan. 24,

1972, abandoned.

[76] Inventor:

[52] U.S. Cl. 128/329; 227/147 [51] Int. Cl A6lb 17/00 [58] Field of Search 128/329, 354, 330, 303.18, 1

Primary Examiner-Richard A. Gaudet Assistant Examiner-Henry J. Recla Attorney, Agent, or F irm-John W. Kraft; Charles L. Kraft ll 5 7 ABSTRACT The ear piercing device of this invention comprises a parallel pair of opposing resilient arms pivotally mounted at one of their respective terminal ends and having a leaf-type holding spring disposed therebetween andan upstanding stop pin mounted on one of the arms operable to limit the extent of movement of the arms, one of the arms and the spring being operable to hold an earring having an upstanding shank portion so that the shank may pierce the lobe of an ear when the arms are squeezed together. The earring being operable to remain in the ear lobe after piercing tends to cause the wound created by the earring shank to heal about the shank and to, thereby, leave a hole or opening in the lobe.

1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures EAR PIERCING DEV CE REFERENCE TO OTHER APPLICATION This is a continuation-in-part application of the copending application entitled Ea'r'Piercing Device, Ser. No. 219,977, filed Jan. 24, 1972 now abandoned.

FIELD OF INVENTION This invention relates to surgical instruments and, more particularly, to an ear piercing device operable to implant a commonly known earring into the lobe of an ear.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART The practice of piercing the ear lobes to provide means for attaching jewelry and ornaments to the human ear has been commonly done for many years. Similarly, attaching identification means to animals by inserting tags and the like to the lobes of the animals ears has been found useful because that portion of the anatomy of both humans and animals is least susceptible to pain. Where, in humans, it is desirable'to change jewelry and ornamentation from time to time, the methods used in piercing ear lobes have also included means for maintaining an opening so that when the wound is healed an openingremains in the lobe. For example, it has been common practice to pierce the lobe with a sharp instrument, such as a needle, and to pull a fabric or wire thread through the wound, the thread being periodically moved in the wound until the wound is healed. Infection frequently results since the thread tends to collect germs and bacteria over a period of time. Bleeding is a particular problem well-known and heretofore unsolved. Most attempts are centered on more finely sharpening the earring stud.

Accordingly, it is an extremely important object of this invention to provide means in an ear piercing device operable to pierce the lobe of an ear and to insert into the wound an article which tends to remain inherently sterile.

Another object of the present invention is to provide in an ear piercing device means which tend to be less painful to the recipient because of rapid insertion of the device through the flesh.

It is a particularly important object of this invention to pierce the ear lobe without bleeding or serious damage.

These and other objects shall become apparent from the description following, it being understood that modifications may be made without affecting the teachings of the invention here set out.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Generally, the ear piercing device .of this invention comprises a parallel pair of opposing resilient arms pivotally mounted at one of their respective terminal ends and having a leaf-type holding spring disposed therebetween and an upstanding stop pin mounted on one of the arms operable to limit the extent of movement of the arms, one of the arms and the spring being operable to hold an earring having an upstanding shank portion so that the shank may pierce the lobe of an ear when the arms are squeezed together. The earring being operable to remain in the ear lobe after piercing tends to cause the wound created by the earring shank to heal about the shank and to, thereby, leave a hole or opening in the lobe.

A more thorough and comprehensive understanding may be had from the detailed description of the preferred embodiment when read in connection with the drawings forming a part of this specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the ear piercing device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the ear piercing device of this invention showing an earring.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the lines 3-3 of FIG. 2 and drawn substantially to a larger scale.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional plan view of the invention taken substantially along the lines 4-4 of the FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings and, more particularly, to the FIGS. 1 and 2, the ear piercing device of the present invention is generally shown and identified by the numeral 10. The device 10 includes a pair of op posing arms 11 and 12. The arms 11 and 12 are suitably fastened at one of their respective terminal ends. The arms 11 and 12 are preferably fabricated from resilient spring-tempered material.

A substantially flat leaf-type earring holding spring 13 is suitably mounted to the arm 12 and is distally disposed generally parallel to the arm 12. It is to be understood that the holding spring 13 may be a substantially flat spring stock fastened by a rivot 14 rectilinearly of the interior side of the arm 12. Referring to the FIG. 15, the holding spring 13 is provided with a rectilinear slot is in one of its terminal ends adjacent the terminal end of the arm 12 opposite the pivot block 14. A recess 12' is provided in the portion of the arm 12 adjacent to and in registry with the slot 15. Distally rearward of the slot 15, an entranceway 16 is provided in the holding spring 13. An upstanding stop pin 17, shown to advantage in the FIG. 2, is suitably mounted on the arm 12, and is engageable through the entranceway 16 of the holding spring 13 with the arm 11. A hole 18 is provided in the terminal end portion of the arm 11 in registry with the recess 12' and slot 15.

In operation, a commonly known earring 19 for pierced ears, shown in the FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, is juxtapositioned between the arm 12 and the holding spring 13 so that the stud 20 of the earring 19 is in an upstanding position and extends through the slot 15. It has been found that piercing is particularly facilitated by employing an unsharpened or blunt stud 20. The device 10 is then placed over the lobe of a human ear so that the arm 11 is contiguous with the rearwardmost portion of the ear lobe and the shank portion of the earring 19 is touching the front portion of the lobe. By manually squeezing the arms 11 and 12 together with a firm, rapid motion of the thumb and forefinger of the operator, the shank of the earring l9 is caused to pierce the lobe of the ear. The arms 11 and 12 are stopped a distance apart by the pin 17 so that the ear is not pinched by the arms 11 and 12. A commonly known fastener may be attached to the shank of the earring 19 at the rearwardmost side of the ear lobe to fasten the earring 19 to the ear. In practice, it has been found to advantage to coat the area of the ear to be pierced and the earring 19 with a antiseptic solution before piercing an ear. Infection is less likely since the shanks of earrings are usually made of metals which inherently are less likely to carry bacteria into the wound, such as gold. The blunt stud does not result in additional tearings of the lobe, and does not result in bleeding.

Having thus described in detail a preferred apparatus which embodies the concepts and principles of the invention and which accomplishes the various objects, purposes and aims thereof, it is to be appreciated and will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many physical changes could be made in the apparatus without altering the inventive concepts and principles embodied therein. Hence, it is intended that the scope of the invention be limited only to the extent indicated in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An ear piercing device, comprising;

first and second opposing parallel arms resiliently mounted to each other at one of their respective terminal ends;

means for detachably retaining a stud of an earring in an upstanding position;

said retaining means being mounted on said first arm at the end opposite the end at which said arms are mounted to each other;

said second arm having a hole disposed distally from the end opposite said mounting of said arms and adjacent said retaining means;

said retaining means comprising a recess cut into the interior side of said first arm in registry with said hole, and a leaf spring disposed parallel to the interior side of said first arm and having one end fastened thereto and its opposite end extending over said recess;

said spring including a slot disposed rectilinearly from its said opposite end in registry with said hole and recess;

and an upstanding stop pin disposed on the interior side of one of said arms. 

1. An ear piercing device, comprising; first and second opposing parallel arms resiliently mounted to each other at one of their respective terminal ends; means for detachably retaining a stud of an earring in an upstanding position; said retaining means being mounted on said first arm at the end opposite the end at which said arms are mounted to each other; said second arm having a hole disposed distally from the end opposite said mounting of said arms and adjacent said retaining means; said retaining means comprising a recess cut into the interior side of said first arm in registry with said hole, and a leaf spring disposed parallel to the interior side of said first arm and having one end fastened thereto and its opposite end extending over said recess; said spring including a slot disposed rectilinearly from its said opposite end in registry with said hole and recess; and an upstanding stop pin disposed on the interior side of one of said arms. 